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Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Wild Bird Wednesday 205 - Redshank

The wonderful damp fields of Orkney gave up another wader for me - the Redshank (Tringa tetanus)

Like the Curlew in the last WBW post this is a bird with a falling population - changes in faming methods on the wet grasslands where they breed are the most likely cause of the decline in numbers of both of these birds. This is not a situation I feel will have been helped by recent political results in the UK.

These pictures (taken at two different locations) show the bird in a classic 'in breeding territory' pose - standing on top of a high point looking out for trouble or possibly food.

If you click the blue button you should be able to link up with WBW - I say 'should' as there was a glitch for a while last week. Hope all is well this time.

Here in Illinois we have the same problem with farming methods, thanks especially to the government subsidies for corn to be used in ethanol production. Fields are cultivated so close together so as not to leave any trees or rows of shrubs between them.

Hi Stewart, sad how even the human's political decisions affect the world's wildlife and the environment. This Redshank is a neat bird - I love the stance as it watches for danger and/or food. Thanks for hosting this meme: it keeps me on my toes looking for and photographing birds during our South Africa winter! Greetings Jo

There are two things I admire about this bird ... 1) he has skinny legs and 2) he can stand on one leg for a prolonged period of time. Now there was a time when I could have competed with him, but no longer :( I agree it is sad that the birds all over the world are losing their habitat and I also agree that the political situation in the UK is worrisome much the same as here in the US where policy is being dictated by special interest groups rather than having a good debate and letting the best man win. Well, I love your Redshank, Stewart ... great captures!